Brandon Harris Named To Thorpe Award Watch List
Aug. 3, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY- University of Miami junior cornerback Brandon Harris has been selected as one of 35 candidates on the 2010 Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list. Last season, Harris was named one of 12 semifinalists for the prestigious award after ranking among the national leaders in passes broken up and passes defended.
The award, presented annually to the nation’s top defensive back, was last won by a `Cane in 1987 when Bennie Blades earned the distinction after recording 124 tackles and five interceptions.
Harris earned All-America honors by SI.com, the Associated Press and Phil Steele Magazine as a sophomore in 2009. He led the ACC and ranked second nationally in averaging 1.31 passes defended per contest while tying for second nationally in pass break-ups (15) and third in passes defended (17). He ranked third on UM’s defense with 58 total tackles, forced two fumbles and intercepted two passes.
In addition to being named to the Thorpe Award watch list, Harris has also been named to the 2010 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List and was recently selected to the preseason All-ACC team.
The committee meets on the first Monday in November to narrow the field to 10 or 12 semifinalists. The committee meets again on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select the three finalists. The names of these finalists are submitted to a national panel of about 50 sports writers, sportscasters, coaches and former players who vote to determine the winner. The three finalists are invited to the ESPN College Football Awards Show, and the winner is announced during the show.
The Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official Web site, www.NCFAA.org.
